Renovating Our Jack and Jill Bathroom

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One of the biggest (and most time consuming) projects that we needed to tackle during phase one was the renovation of our Jack and Jill bathroom. Six and a half long weeks later, the bathroom renovation is complete! Quite honestly, it’s turned out better than I expected!

*insert some before and after photos

Our home currently has two full and one half baths. Since we’re not working on the primary bedroom and bathroom for phase one, we desperately needed to get our Jack and Jill / Hallway bath updated as it’s the only other full bathroom.

Before we started the bathroom renovation, I wanted to take a few weeks to use the space, in order to determine whether the current layout will work for our lifestyle. Fortunately, it was perfect for us, which is why we kept the original layout. Everything in this bathroom needed updating — literally everything!

As we used this bathroom for a couple of months prior to renovation, we realized that this bathroom was VERY leaky. The sink faucet, tub faucet, shower head and toilet all leaked on separate occasions. We could hear the air conditioner condensation hitting a metal pipe behind the sink wall all the way downstairs! Upon taking out the old flooring, we realized that some of the water had started seeping onto the sub floor — luckily, we caught it right when it started so there was no damage. It was a quick fix and all we needed to do was replace a few sub floor planks. Since this home was built in the 1970, we decided to gut the entire bathroom and rebuild it from scratch. Below is a list of all the upgrades we did in the bathroom

JACK AND JILL BATHROOM UPGRADE LIST

◦ Added insulation between exterior walls: most homes do not have interior wall insulation and sometimes, walls can feel paper thin. Sound insulation is very important to us as I don’t like to hear every little noise coming from another room. Also, in my opinion, having sound insulation in a bathroom is a major plus as it offers more privacy to the person using it.
◦ Upgraded all pipes to PEX plumbing. This includes all water lines
◦ Rerouted the air conditioning pipes so the water condensation cannot be heard from behind the wall.
◦ Upgraded toilet drain line to a plastic pipe instead of a metal one
◦ Replaced air conditioner ducts to new ones in order to improve air quality
◦ Used mold resistant sheet rock in order to greatly reduce the risk of mold
◦ Replaced aluminum electrical wiring with new wiring that is now up to code
◦ Installed marble to increase home value
◦ Added wood shiplap, crown molding and base boards
◦ Added custom solid wood cabinetry that is built to last
◦ Upgraded bathroom lighting and hardware

DESIGNING OUR JACK AND JILL BATHROOM

I’ve always loved the bright light that pours into this room throughout the day, therefore, I was able to go bold and moody with my color choice, and I’m SO glad I did. The design is timeless, sophisticated and elegant. The paint color we used is called Sparrow by Benjamin Moore. It’s a unique shade of gray with brown undertones. Although, in this room, it leans more brown than gray, which I love! I used different paint finishes of the same color to give the room more depth and texture. The walls have an eggshell finish, semi gloss on the crown molding, base boards and doors, and high gloss on the cabinets.

To contrast the cool tones of the marble against the warm tones of the paint, I chose a polished nickel finish for all the hardware (minus the cabinet knobs, which are unlacquered brass). Polished nickel is a classic choice as it leans warmer and not as cool toned as polished chrome. The reason I chose unlacquered brass is because I wanted the custom cabinets to look like pieces of furniture, rather than bathroom cabinets, and because the unlacquered brass will patina beautifully over the years and match the existing door handles that are original to the home.